League of Women Voters against proposal for partisan School Board elections
What was first put as a consent agenda item in the Henderson County Board of Commissioners' Jan. 18 budget retreat has turned into an agenda item for its next meeting to be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 at the Historic Henderson County Courthouse.
For the Jan. 18 budget retreat, near the bottom of the consent agenda was an item titled "Resolution – Supporting the Identification of Party Affiliation for the Board of Education." The resolution stated "That the Henderson County Board of Commissioners requests the North Carolina General Assembly establish that henceforth the party affiliation of candidates for the Henderson County Board of Education be identified on any/all primary and general election ballots."
But after hearing from several constituents wanting public input, the commissioners decided to table the vote on the resolution and move it to the Feb. 6 meeting. The League of Women Voters of Henderson County voiced its concern with a letter to the Times-News. The group is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose primary mission is to "promote and facilitate an informed and active electorate," according to the League's website (https://www.lwvhcnc.org/).
"We strongly oppose a motion recently put forward by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to change local school board elections from non-partisan to partisan," LWVHC said in the letter. "Only 41 of North Carolina's 115 school districts hold partisan school board elections. Nationally, the percentage of partisan elections is even smaller. John Heim, executive director of the National School Boards Association pointed out in a recent article that, 'local school boards may be the purest form of representative democracy in existence.' He noted that the issues they decide are not partisan."
The League of Women Voters' national organization supports voting methods that inhibit political manipulation.
"The Henderson League believes that this proposed change would severely inhibit Henderson County voters by potentially discouraging candidates from running for school board, thus restricting voter choice. In the 2022 elections, Republican poll workers distributed palm cards containing the names of Republican school board candidates only. Three of those candidates were subsequently elected. A retired Henderson County teacher and long-term, effective school board member who is registered as an independent, was not. It is not a stretch to think that people who knew little about the candidates may have voted straight party politics... not a good way to select the most highly-qualified candidates," the League of Women Voters of Henderson County said.
Here is the rest of the League's letter:
"The Henderson League, the North Carolina League and the National League all believe in a strong, vibrant Pre-K-12 public education system — well funded and well governed. We believe that can best be achieved by an elected school board that is diverse and composed of the most highly qualified community members. In their motion, the County Commission stated that 'identification of candidates part affiliation will provide voters with more information on the policies and positions such candidates support.' The Henderson League strongly disagrees. Such a system may even provide voters with less information.
Over the years the HCPS Board has done an amazing job. Their planning and decision-making recognize and balance the needs of students with operational needs. There simply isn't room for the insertion of party politics. There are several excellent non-partisan ways to become informed about candidates' qualifications and positions. The LWVHC sponsors candidate forums prior to elections. These are publicized and are always open to the public. The League also sponsors VOTE 411.org, a website that provides extensive candidate information provided by the candidates themselves.
We urge all Henderson County voters to share your thoughts on this important issue with your County Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners meeting at which this topic will be discussed is Monday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 pm at the Historic County Courthouse. Commissioner contact information may be found in this paper."
The letter was signed by League of Women Voters President Brenda Sherrer and the League's Chair, Jane Pulling.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: League of Women Voters against proposal for partisan School Board elections
